Ghanaians need to embrace variety in the music industry – Lamisi

Sensational and versatile musician Lamisi, whose real name is Regina Lamisi Awiniman Anabilla Akuka, has emphasized the need for the Ghanaian populace and industry players alike to embrace variety in the music landscape in the country.

The energetic and near-spiritual Afro-fusion singer, songwriter, and performer from the Upper East Region said this in an interview with the man with the amazing sense of humor Giovani Caleb on Showbiz 360 on TV3 Friday, March 19.

Lamisi, who started her music career as a lead singer in The Patch Bay Band before embarking on her solo career singing mainly in her indigenous language Kusaasi and English, lamented the lack of variety in the music industry and how society pushes Ghanaian artistes into pursuing one trend in order to make money.

“In Ghana, there’s a particular trend and then they want all of us to follow, but when it happens like that it stifles creativity because I cannot be like Yaa Yaa and she cannot be like me, I cannot be like Efya and she cannot be like me. So I think the issue with our industry is that we need to embrace variety, that’s just it,” she pointed out.

She also lamented the fact that in Ghana when she performs people act ambivalent to her songs but when she goes to perform outside the country, the foreigners easily groove to her songs to her own amazement.

“People like us that do alternative music, it takes time to warm up to the people so you need to be willing to sacrifice. When we go outside people will be clapping and jumping to our music, you say raise your hands and they raise their hands, clap and they clap, you say jump and they jump but in Ghana when you say it, they’ll just be sitting there, especially the VIPs.”

The ‘Karikatanka’ singer, who described her genre of music as “alternative music”, was featured on Ghana’s first Reggae/Dancehall compilation by Irie Ites in 2016 and has performed on local and international stages with music greats like the legendary Rocky Dawuni, Atongo Zimba, Stonebwoy, Samini, Afro Moses and other African artistes like Patoranking from Nigeria and Lady May from Namibia.

Lamisi is a graduate of the University of Professional Studies, Accra with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and a Master of Philosophy in Dance Education from the University of Ghana.

The ‘Kuul Running’ hitmaker disclosed that she is working on some new projects that will be out soon and thus entreated her fans to follow her on all social media platforms for good and authentic music.